Ozric Tentacles

 Ed Wynne has carried the Ozrics Tentacles name forward for nearly 40 years. Though the band's concerts and live albums are highly acclaimed (especially the 2002 release Live at the Pongmasters Ball), I've only listened to studio album releases--in fact, 18 of the 22 in that have been released into the public domain--but I plan to keep adding to the list until I've caught up with the band.

Though the band started in Somerset, England, in 1983, its membership has changed quite a bit over the years with Ed being the only member present on every single release and no other founding members present after 1994.

After completing my deep-dive into the band's discography I think I have a general outline for their progression: I see/hear three periods. First came the imitative stage of the 1980s in which Ed and his bandmates (of which there was a fairly stable core of about six or seven loyal members) dedicated a lot of their efforts to testing out all of the new and old technologies coming available to them while perfecting their mimicry of old "classic" sounds (like those of Steve Hillage and Gong, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis, and, of course, Richard Wright) and styles (like Middle Eastern, Indian/Southeast Asian, Gong, and various Reggae and other Afro-Caribbean) the perfection of which is best represented in the Pungent Effulgent, Erpland, and Jurassic Shift albums. The second phase notes the beginning of some "unraveling" as lineup changes see the departure of no less than four of the original brigade (Nick Van Gelder, Paul Hankin, Joie Hinton, and Roly Wynne) and the arrival of three newbies in the form of drummer Merv Pepler (and, later, Conrad Prince) and bass player Zia Geelani and synth player Christopher Lenox-Smith. The band's music here begins to feel stale, formulaic, and often uninspired. The third "computer" period starts with 2004's wonderful Spirals in Hyperspace. This is marked by a notable shift from songs being constructed from weaves of individually distinguishable tracks to more amorphous, nebulous "cloud" structures of indistinguishably interwoven synth- and computer-dominated "atmospheres." While I like many songs and albums from the first two periods, I find the third period with its more cohesive holistic constructs to be the most impressive.

How I Rank Ozric Tentacles' Albums:

1. OZRIC TENTACLES Technicians of the Sacred (2015) - 95.34
2. OZRIC TENTACLES Jurassic Shift (1993) - 91.50

3. OZRIC TENTACLES Lotus Unfolding (2023) - 91.25

4. OZRIC TENTACLES Spirals in Hyperspace (2004) 90.86

5. OZRIC TENTACLES The Floor's Too Far Away (2006) - 90.28

6. OZRIC TENTACLES Space for the Earth (2020) - 90.05

7. OZRIC TENTACLES Waterfall Cities (1999) - 89.77

8. OZRIC TENTACLES Become the Other (1995) - 89.166667

9. OZRIC TENTACLES Pungent Effulgent (1989) - 89.02

10. OZRIC TENTACLES Erpland (1990) - 88.87

11. OZRIC TENTACLES Strangeitude (1991) - 88.52

12. OZRIC TENTACLES Paper Monkeys (2011) - 88.48

13. OZRIC TENTACLES Swirly Termination (2000) 87.54

14. OZRIC TENTACLES Curious Corn (1997) - 87.50

15. OZRIC TENTACLES Arborescence (1994) - 87.22

16. OZRIC TENTACLES The Yumyum Tree (2009) 87.11

17. OZRIC TENTACLES Erpsongs (1985) - 86.40

18. OZRIC TENTACLES The Hidden Step (2000) - 86.39

Despite inconsistencies and disappointments along the way, Ed Wynne and his Ozric Tentacles have provided 40 years of eminently enjoyable music all of which seem to consistently explore a kind of "alternative world" of "exotic-yet-synthetic" soundscapes--soundscapes that are both uniquely their own and which have become instantly recognizable as theirs once one hears them. They are definitely a band that Prog World needs to celebrate as much as they are coddled and indulged. Thank you Ed and all the collaborators and inspirateurs of this wonderful music Beyond the Looking Glass.

Below you will find the majority of the band's studio album discography. I have (so far) lacked the will and desire to explore more of the late-1980s albums which were all self-released primarily in cassette-only form until 1993 when the band had achieved a few hits (starting with 1989's Pungent Effulgent) and had the backing of a record label for the re-released their old cassette tapes in CD form.

I do not know why I chose to order the albums and my reviews of the in a reverse chronological order, but here you have it.

OZRIC TENTACLES Lotus Unfolding (2023)

Ed Wynne has chosen to revive the "Ozric" name--with the help of his family and some friends--for this, their 16th studio album release, and I have to concur with the other early reviewers: this may be one of their best albums ever--certainly top five!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synth, bass
- Silas Wynne / synth, keyboards
- Brandi Wynne / bass
With:
- Saskia Maxwell / flute
- Tim Wallander / drums
- Paul Hankin / percussion

1. "Storm in a Teacup" (9:37) a song that captures all of the instrumentalists (and programs) contributing equally and fully to the break-neck rush-forward race down the highway that it presents, start to near-finish. Definitely my favorite song on the album. (18.75/20)

2. "Deep Blue Shade" (5:09) another perfectly balanced Ozric soundscape that conjures (and calls) up all of the best of everything this band has ever done and yet is uniquely its own song. The bass, synths, and percussion play really stand out for me. Like the album's opener, this song makes me want to dance! (9/10)

3. "Lotus Unfolding" (8:13) calm, floating music that conjures up dreams or meditations of exotic jungle scenery. Saskia Maxwell's beautiful ethereal flute is the lead instrument for the first three minutes. In the fourth minute drums, bass, and keys kick in, giving the beautiful music some flow, while the flute comes back sounding a bit distant due to its place within the mix. Great bass line from Brandi Wynne and easy going, yet impressive drums from Tim Wallander lead to a heavier section with Ed's electric guitar searing in the lead. With a few gentle stop-and-starts the synths join in as the flute returns to counter the guitars and synth. Beautiful song. My second top three. (14/15)

4. "Crumplepenny" (9:55) quirky-wonky synth percussives woven together open this song for a long and prolonged stop-and-start intro. In the third minute acoustic steel-string guitar announces itself as the lead instrument while the band continues its little game of hide and seek--trying to decide whether or not to congeal into an united force. Finally they do: in an awesome driving motif. Guitars, drums, synth programs are all great but the rapid-fire, single-note bass line is the driving force behind it all. In the middle we enter a star-ceilinged cave of mystical awe in which everyone just stops, drops their jaws, and looks around them  for a bit. When the band kicks back in, it's with a totally new motif, vocoder syllables thrown into the soup with everybody else. Great percussion work from Paul Hankin as well as awesome synth lines and acoustic guitar play. The song then comes to a close as it started: with quirk and indecision--despite the acoustic guitar's attempt at leadership. Very cool and unusual song--even for the Ozrics! My other top three song. (18.25/20)

5. "Green Incantation" (7:38) with its funky bass, stop-and-go and play, and lead acoustic 12-string guitar, this one sounds like something from a STEVE TIBBETTS or DIF JUZ album. Great start. Wonderful engineering while somehow keeping a 1970s rock sound at the foundation despite the typical Ozrics pixie synth play (courtesy of Silas Wynne?). "Normal" electric guitar takes the lead in the seventh and eighth minutes. (13.375/15)

6. "Burundi Spaceport" (5:08) heavily-effected guitar solos over a steadily-rolled bass note as incidental synth and hand percussives play into a texturized background. In the third minute the full band finally comes together--consolidates into a kind of Calypso foundation over which a distant multi-dimensional being (effected guitar) snorts and flies around as if some kind of elusive Chinese dragon flitting around the river canyon (8.75/10)

Total Time 45:40

91.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music. Come on everybody, get on board: Welcome back the Ozrics! 

OZRIC TENTACLES Space for the Earth (2020)

Ed Wynne has reduced his Ozric Tentacles lineup to himself, a drummer, and an entourage of computer synth artists. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synth, programming
- Silas Wynne / synth
- Balázs Szende / drums
With:
- Joie Hinton / synth
- Nick Van Gelder / drums
- Champignon / flute
- Paul Hankin / percussion
- Gracerooms / additional synth

1. "Stripey Clouds" (6:37) opens like a modern remake of one of KING SONNY ADÉ's African JuJu songs before the funky space keyboard sounds enter and take over. The overall mix once the song has fully unfolded in the second minute is quite cohesive and Ed Wynne's guitar solo starts off so clean and concise--one of the best I've ever heard from him! The slow down for the stop sign in the third minute is seemless and continues to present very enjoyable nuances--such as "Champignon"'s flute. Who is playing the bass? Can this really be just synth work? Nice! I have some issue with the sound used to present the drums (especially the hi-toms: too plasticky), and then the bluesy last minute is a little disappointing after the awesome Afro-pop opening, otherwise this is a pretty awesome song. (9/10)

2. "Blooperdome" (5:34) almost Berlin School synth weave (sequenced?) is used to form the base for this one. All kinds of monkey-like incidentals are used from a variety of instruments to form the overall haphazard texture (sauf the steady, big bass). The electric guitar takes off around the two-minute mark for a nice solo before the band crescendos and then empties out. Enter a dobro for an extended solo over some sparse bass-and-drum accompanied I LOVE the teasing pause around 4:15 before the cascading bells and bubbling synth solos. Unfortunately, there is an odd "disconnect" to the sudden end--as if one has just given up, changed channels! (8.875/10)

3. "Humboldt Currant" (8:58) sounds like a slowed-down variation of the opening to something from Erpland or Jurassic Shift. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of elements, sounds, and "tricks" used in making the fabric of this song that sound "borrowed" or "rehashed" from older OT material. The best part of the whole song is the extended sample of Cambodian spiritual chanting (something Pat Metheny used on the opening song to his 1993 Grammy Award winning album Secret Story), however, I do like the semi-acoustic guitar solo in the fifth and sixth minutes as well as the stripped-down waves and keyboard duet in the seventh and the awesome deep bass in the eighth. I'd love to hear an entire song built around those Cambodian chants. (17.75/20)

4. "Popscape" (4:51) too much like some of their older stuff--with some very old (HEART-like) guitar riffing. It's got a great pace--one that makes you want to be driving out in the countryside--and a (rare) decent ending--but that's about all. (8.666667/10)

5. "Climbing Plants" (7:05) a lot more laid back and Costa Rican than the previous song; makes one feel as if one were walking through the "tamed" jungles of the resort areas of Central America with the occasional "surprise" visitor from the wild: like Ed's fresh JEFF BECK-like bluesy guitar playing of the third minute--which then turns STEVE VAI-ish with a "Teeth of the Hydra"-like animal sound in the fourth. There are even seductive, alluring pan flutes in the background throughout the fifth minute! Now the bass play that next arises really surprises me to think that it's computer keyboard generated. Good song. (13.5/15)

6. "Space for the Earth" (7:36) if the accompanying video is anything to go by, the aim of this song (and album) might be to further express the impressive-yet-impermanent works of mankind in the scope of Mother Nature's insidious and domineering desire to grow and flourish. The music feels far more laid back and Indian in its sound palette and melodic choices--until the hokey ooze-sounds enter at 4:20. The stop and shift at the five-minute mark is promising, but then the music returns to the exact same baseline motif for a pretty standard Ed Wynne electric guitar solo for the next 90 seconds. The final minute is nice: more anarchistic and dream-like--like nature, the ultimate winner. (13.25/15)

7. "Harmonic Steps" (6:36) multiple keyboard sequences layered one within the other open this one--and continue to multiply and thicken--until the second minute when a kind of "Eminence Front" rhythm track is set up for the rest of the action to congeal and peal off of. Always nice to hear the flute--and then a fresh sound from one of Ed's guitars (no matter how briefly). The synth lead in the fourth minute gives the listener a reminder of pop-synth genius PAUL HARDCASTLE, all the while John Entwistle's bass line persists and remains steady as the guidepost to this song. (Still can't believe these are synth basses, not stringed instruments!) Despite being based on a rather obvious and blatantly-lifted sound/rhythm, this is actually a pretty cool song. (9/10)

Total Time 47:17

Despite the pared down lineup of collaborators, Ed Wynne continues to produce highly engaging--and often entertaining--"instrumental" music--and this time seemingly without a bass player! 

90.05 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Ozric Tentacles psychedelic/space music--one that stands up quite well to the tradition created over the course of 22 studio albums.

OZRIC TENTACLES Technicians of the Sacred (2015)

This is an album that I liked immediately--for the familiarity of the sound that is so uniquely that of OZRIC TENTACLES--but that has taken me quite some time to get familiar with. That seems to be the problem with these modern artists who release 80-plus minute long albums (Dave Kerzer, Sanguine Hum, Barock Project, Nightwish, IOEarth, Sylvan, are a few of the others who have released long playing albums this year, so far.), it takes quite some effort to listen through and to thoroughly get to know them compared to a 45-minute long release. Anyway, the patience and time invested in getting to know Technicians of the Sacred has been well worth it. This has become my favorite Ozrics release since Jurassic Shift. While all the albums I've heard have been nice, none have really possessed that magic touch that compels me to return time and again. And, while the Ozrics sound, style, and magic is pretty generic (it is often difficult to distinguish individual tracks by title--this owning to the fact that they are an instrumental band), yet almost every song on Technicians has had a way to worm into my brain, to get me engaged and then to build, shift, add, twist and turn enough to keep me interested--and, often, smiling! These guys certainly have an unique way of creating sound combinations. I cannot think of anyone quite as eclectic and electronic as them and yet they are always grooving me with their bass and drum rhythm tracks. Always! Plus, their unusual combination of spacey, "Nature" electronic walls of sound with odd and unexpected world instruments never ceases to astound me. And these guys have been doing it for 30 years! BUT they have NEVER done it better than they have on this album. Hail Technicians of the Sacred! The stars have aligned in such a way that Ozric Tentacles have created a masterpiece (of their own genre of music)!


Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitars, synths, Fx, programming, producer
- Silas Wynne / synth, baglama, Fx
- Brandi Wynne / bass
- Balázs Szende / drums
- Paul Hankin / congas, bongos

CD 1 (45:18)
1. "The High Pass" (8:23) competent and busy but inoffensive and definitely full of interesting sounds expertly woven together--plus great instrumental performances. It is only lacking a bit in the melody department: no hooks! (17.75/20)

2. "Butterfly Garden" (5:04) great atnosphere created between the synths and percussives but man! can Brandi Wynne seduce with her bass! The muted, softened-tone is nearly keyboard-like, but she covers ground that mesmerizes! Everytime I listen to this song I find myself practically tuning out everything but the bass (and vocal chants). Awesome shredding in the fourth minute, Ed! (9.5/10)

3. "Far Memory" (7:12) live drummer Balász Szende establishes an awesome drum line to open this before multiple synths, bass, and hand percussion join in. Brandi is again being so creative, so intuitive, with her own lines: it's awesome! Nice multiple-track guitar work in the third and fourth minutes snaking its way among the thick forest of synths. An odd spacious/quiet "bridge" around the four minute mark seems to offer the band a restart/reset after which the keys get a little more room to be creative/inventive (without choosing to be flashy). The maturity and patience in this music is remarkable (helped out greatly, I think, by Balász' steadfast time keeping)! I would not know how to improve this song! (15/15)

4. "Changa Masala" (6:05) The vocal and synth work here are what keep me engaged as the drum and bass patterns leave me a little disoriented and confused. The Mahavishnu Orchestra/Shakti-like duelling between baglama and synth in the fourth minute is very cool. but again it's the female vocals and amazing synth lines that I"m really enjoying. (9.25/10)

5. "Zingbong" (8:26) 1980s techno-pop programmed drum & bass sounds and beat sounding a lot like JAPAN or YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA. Once it gets going--moving smoothly into fourth gear--it is a very enjoyable and scenic ride. Some great bass, guitar, and synth interplay around the six-minute mark. As a matter of fact, the display of high level instrumental proficiency (and creativity) is pretty incredible throughout this one. (18.75/20)

6. "Switchback" (10:13) a little slower paced and somewhat familiar sound palette of the opening are a little reminiscent of OT music from days gone by. I feel that Brandi is a little out of her element with this speed and style; perhaps a different sound or playing style would have been more appropriate/effective for this one. At the same time, the further into the song the listener hangs the more its bathing effect can be felt. The second half (or final third) may, in fact, be more cohesive than the first parts. (18/20)

CD 2 (43:51)
7. "Epiphlioy" (11:50) Silas' baglama opens this one like something from YOSSI SOSSI, JOHN FRUSCIANTE, or STEVE TIBBETTS. The rest of the band kicks in, creating a great Middle Eastern weave within which Balász and Brandi and the synth players kill it. Around 4:30 Ed's guitar play brings in a prog metal aspect that plays off the Middle Eastern instrumental sounds and melodies quite well: the contrast really works! Just a kick ass song with musicianship of the very highest caliber! Man! the synth solo in the eighth minute is incredible! And then the slow down patch after for the display of the heavily-distorted Middle Eastern male vocal again shows such maturity in their restraint! Amazing! More great sounds and solos to follow. The best "Middle Eastern" song the band has ever done! (25/25)

8. "The Unusual Village" (6:21) again mixing some rather unlikely elements is risky but ultimately pays off with some nice YVES POTIN-like music. Amazing what sounds and textures an electric guitar can produce these days! Ed even goes DAVID TORN in the fifth minute and then SHANKAR in the sixth! (9.125/10)

9. "Smiling Potion" (7:12) an amazing "Harder Better Faster Stronger" synth opening receives the guiding support of a slow, plodding, yet very-cerebral rhythm section. Amazing! The control and emotion being expressed here--in the first two minutes--before a solo instrument ever steps forward--is incredible! Then a very lysergic guitar enters and just blows your mind! Crowd noises in the space/pause in the middle of the song tease the audience with slow panning OT Erp-synth lines before the rest of the band rejoins. Keyboard and Silas' baglama begin another "conversation" in the fifth minute, backing off in the sixth for a battle of the percussionists! This is so different for OT! Awesome! (15/15)

10. "Rubbing Shoulders with The Absolute" (8:36) wonderfully rich and relaxing soundscape bordering on the New Age at its proggiest. Big mood and melody shift occurs at 3:30 with the introduction of a sharp reversed computer synth noise taking the lead, followed by some foreign language radio samples, but things are back to forward flow by 4:30. The music thickens in the seventh minute, kind of crescendoing for a bit before everybody drops way down on volume and business for a rather low-profile and sedating finish. Cool! (19/20)

11. "Zenlike Creature" (9:54) An all-time favorite OT song for me; kind of like the best of Jurassic Shift with all of the modern accoutrements and engineering advantages. EVERYBODY is at the top of their game for this one--though I simply must single out drummer Balász Szende for his amazing work. Ed, too, feels quite energized with his creative-yet-aggressive electric guitar work. A really well-crafted and perfectly engineered song! (20/20)

Total Time 89:09

I think what I like most about this album is how fresh, invigorating, and original all of the music and soundscapes feel. Also, these musicians know their high skill levels but seem to have the maturity to not have to show off at every minute of every song; restraint is a skill that this music shows quite well. Plus drummer Balász Szende and bass player Brandi Wynne's skills elevate the band's rhythm to the highest levels of all-time.

95.34 on the Fishscales = five stars; a masterpiece of progressive rock music. This is an album that is hard to find flaw with as it is all pretty engaging and highly creative (even witty) stuff. It's my highest rated OT album and probably my favorite of theirs. Check it out for yourself. You may be surprised!

OZRIC TENTACLES Paper Monkeys (2011)

Ed & family's sixth studio album release of the 21st Century.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synth, programming, co-producer
- Silas Wynne / keyboards, synth, sampler
- Brandi Wynne / bass, co-producer
- Ollie Seagle / drums & V-Drums, percussion
With:
- Kyle / percussion (1)

1. "Attack of the Vapours" (5:22) like STEVE HILLAGE with rock beat, frenetic Indian-like percussion, and conversing synth cats! Definitely one of Ed's most speedy and computer-roboticized pieces. (8.75/10)

2. "Lemon Kush" (6:15) a bit of a rocker that conjures up concepts like OT doing mock ups or mix-medleys of old rock classics (here The Who's "Eminence Front" with Alan Parsons Project's "I Robot" and Jan Hammer's "Miami Vice Theme").  It's hard to imagine that all of these tracks were played at these breakneck speeds; might they have been computer-sped up for the final mixes? Very interesting. (8.875/10)

3. "Flying Machines" (6:26) some Petri Walli/Jimi Hendrix-like guitar shredding dispersed over one of the simpler rhythm tracks and song constructs I've heard from OT in a while. (8.66667/10)

4. "Knurl" (6:08) I know this one was built around Brandi Wynne's gorgeous TONY LEVIN-like bass line. How much fun would it be to be in the studio when these guys go through their vast array of tried and true sounds and styles of world and traditional music sounds and styles in order to find which combination and permutation "fits" best with the current construct they're working on. This one has no certain traditon for its source and so must justifiably be labelled a "mutt," "mélamge," or "hybrid." It is, however, a bit of a lame duck in terms of taking space where originality could stand tall. (8.666667/10)

5. "Lost in the Sky" (7:20) I know it must be terribly difficult to constantly have to try to reinvent one's sound, style, or library of sound from album to album--especially over a 25-year span--but to borrow not one but two signature sounds from one song ("Stretchy") for a new song is inexcusable. Perhaps this was a period where fans were clamoring for more of the old (I know it was before the fire that destroyed all of their equipment). (13.125/15)

6. "Paper Monkeys" (7:17) opens like a classic heavy rock song from the 1970s--like something by Ted Nugent or even Jeff Beck (especially in the bass and drum rhythm section); very rock lead guitar-led and -oriented. Not only are they reaching back for old riffs and sounds to build their songs upon, they're actually going beyond their usual psychedelic and space rock sources. Too straightforward and one-dimensional. A lot of people will like this one for yet another hyperspeed journey. (13/15)

7. "Plowm" (7:52) interesting synth sequence to open. Deep funky bass-led band jumps right in within 30 seconds, setting up a nice weave over which Ed's searing lead guitar and multiple synth sounds take turns injecting their perspectives, short-lived or not. Different upper-register e-guitar strumming around the three-minute mark followed by bridge to alto pan flute-like synth solo. Nice low-end, well-spaced guitar chords in the fifth minute before they turn into one of Ed's fiery flanged Todd Rundgren-like solos. It's quite a nice solo; too bad it's stuck way back there in the garden. (I love Todd's lead sound.) Finally something that feels a little fresh. A top three song for me. (13.5/15)

8. "The Will of the Wisps" (10:42) What?! Dreamy, spacey? An all-synth weave (before the militaristic drumming rises to the fore)? A little Andreas Vollenweider here? Another "too bad" cuz Ollie Seagle's drumming is actually rather remarkable. I actually enjoy this kind of "world space music" quite a lot--and do not miss the guitar or funky bass; it's always fun for me to see/hear what a whole room of computer keyboard players can weave together. The Balinese "will 'o' wisp" voices in the sixth minute are cool, but I have to admit that the guitar track introduced disappoints me--even though it's just Jan Akkerman-like rhythm work. Another wave of Balinese voices and we switch into the domineering presence of the full wah-blues guitar. Fortunately, he doesn't go off into a full-blown testosterone-fueled solo until well into the tenth minute. (George Thorogood!) Despite the let-down of the final three minutes, this is another top three song for me. (18.25/20)

9. "Air City" (3:53) sounds like a percussionist's happy variation of Jan Akkerman's classic, "Skydancer." My other top three song. (8.875/10)

Total Time 61:15

This is the most computer-manipulated music I've ever heard from the OT crew--which begs the question: Can this music actually be performed live by non-robotic human musicians? Also, is the overwhelming dominance of breakneck-speed songs on this album indicative of any issues within the band? (Like impatience, time limits, or amphetamine use?)

88.44 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; overall, this is an album of solid it, at times, familiar Ozrics songs with just enough fresh ideas to make it an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you're already a fan. 

OZRIC TENTACLES The Yumyum Tree (2009)

A foursome that includes Brandi as well as newcomers Vinny Shillito and Roy Brosh on bass and drums, respectively.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synthesizer, programming
- Brandi Wynne / keyboards, Fx
- Vinny Shillito / bass
- Roy Brosh / drums
With:
- Joie Hinton / synthesizers (4,8)
- Merv Pepler / percussion (4,8)
- Dominic Gibbins / darbuka (6)

1. "Magick Valley" (6:42) some very weird, non-musical synth noises sounding like an alien race of animals who possess language opens this for about a minute. When the musical part enters and congeals into full form it is a kind of house/dance version of electronically-rendered Middle Eastern sounds and melody styles. It sounds very much like some of the music I might have heard in one of the Lebanese restaurants I used to love in my graduate school years in East Lansing, Michigan. Synths are definitely the  domineering thread-producers of this weave--even when Ed picks up his guitar it is so effected that it almost sounds like it, too, is a synth. (8.875/10)

2. "Oddweird" (6:14) right musicianship in a very rock-sounding style and sound. The usual exotic and tropical sounds manage to make their way into the song, of course, and the dominant bass lines and additional percussion instruments used sound near Jamaican/Caribbean--and then there is the koto in the  fifth. I'm still listening for the kitchen sink. Just a transcontinental, transcultural stew that satisfies a lot of rock "needs." (8.75/10)

3. "Mooncalf" (7:41) strong bass, drum, and percussion play is not quite enough to launch this mutt of styles and sounds into the heavens. (13.33333/15)

4. "Oolong, Oolong" (5:54) nice laid-back jungle groove that supports some very pleasant solos. That first guitar slash and burn is top notch--and I love the way the rhythm section gives way to the spacemospherics and hypnotic synth strokes in that third minute. The amazing synth solo in the fourth minutes makes me now question whether or not that initial solo in the second minute was a guitar or not! (It was, but the sound duplication from the synth is astounding!) A song that really sits well with me from all perspectives: a new OT masterpiece! (9.75/10)

5. "Yum Yum Tree" (9:08) jungle noises bleeding over from the previous song are augmented by an odd synth tuned percussive, odd muted bass, and percussionist's cymbal play. This interplay of odd, andro-fabricated sounds goes on well into the third minute before new sounds are added to the weave. Then we cut back to just multi-percussives and the "talking drum" synth for a good spell before everybody else joins back in so that Ed can add his speedy flangy guitar solo to the background scenery. (This is the exact effects settings used by Todd Rundgren on the 1974 Utopia and Todd albums--especially for "The Last Ride.") I'm so glad the bass gets some lead time (in the seventh minute) where he is nicely paired with the xylophone. Not a big fan of the raunchy rock electric guitar strumming that comes next, but, luckily, it's short-lived, yielding to synth and multiple tuned percussion instruments weaving a cool semi-Gamelan    (17.75/20)

6. "Plant Music" (5:28) I'm not as big of a fan of these STIVE HILLAGE driving rock songs that Ed produces. The sounds incorporated in the song--cameos and integrally--become the feature that you have to look for while the rhythm section just keeps motoring down the Autobahn. (8.666667/10)

7. "Nakuru" (5:38) Cool effected-saxophone sound being produced from some kind of MIDI-ed instrument is played like a blues saxophone solo over some gentle spacemospheric synth, percussion, and  JACO PASTORIUS-like bass play. The music actually sounds like a cross between WEATHER REPORT and AL DI MEOLA's 1983 album Scenario. Nice! (8.875/10)

8. "San Pedro" (6:21) an actual chord progression coming from an electric piano-sounding keyboard! You never know how odd this phenomenon is in an OT song until it happens! Despite this foundational anomaly, the song once again creates a delivery mechanism for odd instrumental sounds (and some awesome percussion play) to make their presence known. (8.75/10)

Total Time 53:06

The weird thing about my reaction to the music on this album is how much I enjoyed the percussion parts--especially when multiple tracks were playing with and between each other. The other thing I notice as I near my completion of the OT discography is how there seem to be some "default programs" that OT uses to get songs started, rhythm section formulae that have become stable staples over which to build songs. The unfortunate part of this is that the rest of the instrumental performances on these particular songs become more of an exercise in exhausting mathematical permutations and combinations of surplus/adjunct sounds: while the synth and effects engineering can be highly creative, the overall songs end up existing while lacking in any core originality or freshness.

87.11 on the Fishscales = /stars; a very solid and respectable, if not totally refreshing display of Ozric talent and creativity--but also containing more songs founded in patterns and styles that sound "rote" or "default" for the band. I suppose after 18 studio albums in 25 years there is bound to be a little repetition and borrowing. At least this album has far less ideas borrowed from other bands' music than some of OT's other albums.   

OZRIC TENTACLES The Floor's Too Far Away (2006)

Newcomer Brandi Wynne steps up from her previous guest appearance to that of full-on collaborator--mostly on synth and in the production booth. Otherwise, this album represents Ed in an almost-solo capacity. You go, Dude!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synth, drums (5,7,9), bass (2,6), fretless bass (9), sampling & programming, co-producer
- Brandi Wynne / bass (1), synth & Fx (2), co-producer

With:
- Tom Brooks / "bubbles" (3,5,7)
- Matt Shmigelsky / drums (1,2,6,8)
- Merv Pepler / percussion (2)

1. "Bolshem" (4:48) actually a pretty cool groove--a steady but easy-going pace with some fine performances (and fine coherence) across the board, start to finish. (8.875/10)

2. "Armchair Journey" (5:53) seems to get a jump start from the bleed-over from the previous song but is, in fact, a totally different song. The long spacey intro is really great--quite YES-like, but then, in the third minute, Ed breaks out his STEVE HILLLAGE--but then backs off--it's only a tease while he lets the drums (grâce à Matt Shmigelsky) show off a bit before taking off/over himself. The bass (Ed's) is pretty great throughout: not just a rhythm keeper but also a part-time melody-maker. The dreamy Fender Rhodes is cool too--there are parts that make me think I'm in the middle of the lush soundscapes of NOVA's Narada Michael Walden-produced Vimana, 1976. This is great--not just regurgitated old OT stuff.(9.125/10)

3. "Jellylips" (6:07) opens with computer-effected weirdness (like the treated voices in Kanye West's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"). The drum, bass, and synth cohesive rhythm track has some nice staccato elements but is otherwise another variation on the "drive with the top down country road" format that this band excels at. I've got to hand it to Tom Brooks and Ed's synth mastery (with perhaps a little assist from new-energy newcomer Brandi Wynne) for the very creative soundscape they've pulled off for this one. The solos are 90% synth generated, 10% Ed's Hillage-guitar. Kudos for sound and palette creativity. (8.875/10)

4. "Vedavox" (2:51) Space-African sound palette with talking drums, drones, and all-kinds of teeth, nose, and thumb instrument sounds all woven together within a kind of Arabian orientation. Again, credit is deserved for the sheer creativity behind the sound choices devised to make this weave. (8.875/10)

5. "Spacebase" (9:36) the slow bouncy percussive synth-bass intro reminds me the work of both Berlin School-KLAUS SCHULZE and SONAR. Other instruments soon join in to create the usual full-spherical four-dimensional surround-sound. It feels as if the bouncy synth-bass is quite often either the lead instrument, or the melody-setter, as well as, occasionally, the attention-getter. Even when Ed is soloing on his guitar I find myself much more interested in what the bass line is playing. That super-funky BILLY PRESTON ("Space Race")-reminiscent sixth minute is so ill! And the synth player(s) just keeps driving it home throughout the next minute--even while a separate synth tries to take over and Ed's searing guitar play really does. Cool, simplistic PAUL HARDCASTLE-like solo synth in the seventh as the support palette of instruments slowly shifts to a more dream-jungle-like soundscape--until 7:25 when the robot funk "bubble" voice takes over and carries the lead well into the ninth minute. Overall, quite a magical, danceable ride. (18.5/20)

6. "Disdots" (6:48) more great multi-multi-dimensional sounds woven together magically across many levels in a very jazz-rock fusion fashion with some great drumming, bass play, and Steve Hillage-like lead guitar work. (13.5/15)

7. "Etherclock" (8:01) using a foundational soundscape that sounds remarkably like something from one of ANDREAS WOLLENWEIDER's early albums, this one takes off into planetary reconnoitre before going heavy rock 'n' roll with one of Ed's raunchier guitar sounds soloing away. The interesting rhythm guitar chord strum play in the fourth minute is quite JAN AKKERMAN like. Great MOOGY KLINGMAN/UTOPIA-like synth play in the sixth as Ed's guitar continues its creative strum play. A song with some great highs (the syncopated strumming) and irritating lows (the raunchy guitar). (13.33333/15)

8. "Splat!" (8:59) a very funked up weave (that my wife loved!) sets up plenty of opportunities for solos--many that come from the synths as well as a few tamer ones from Ed's electric guitars. (I count, minimum, five different ones--which is actually small when compared to the number of synth sounds employed.) Solid, very good, but just not enough to raise it to "write home about" level. (17.75/20)

9. "Ping" (6:39) a dreamy sci-fi keyboard soundscape over which Ed flies around on his fretless bass. Besides Brandi's keys, I'm not sure there's anyone else contribution to this one. Daryl Stuermer (with Jean-Luc Ponty)-like acoustic guitar joins in and then takes over for the third minute as the music flattens out and runs a few red lights. Impressive! The fourth minute presents some very PAT METHENY GROUP-like polyrhythmic math rock odd time sigs and playing while the drums and electric guitar take off in straight time over the top. Very impressive!! Another one of those once-in-a-album songs that serves notice that this band is very much alive and producing highly creative, highly charged music. (9.5/10)

Total Time 59:42

I think the creative input added by Brandi has definitely provided a much needed shot in the arm--this despite the signs that the OT moniker is becoming a shadow mask for Ed to realize his ideas in solo. The sounds created by the computer keyboards for so much of this album are highly original and, therefore, to be commended and praised. Otherwise, I'm not sure the band has any new ideas to contribute to rock/progressive rock music in terms of song structures and style. (Though I should perhaps be reprimanded for accusing a band that has originated and perpetuated a style that is very much all their own of not being creative or progressive enough!) On another positive note: this album gets the "Big Funk Seal of Approval" from my Prince-loving wife. (It's rare that she ever asks me to turn up my music much less dances her sultry Soul Train dances right next to me while it's playing.) 

90.28 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and a real turning point in the lineage of OT sound and energy. Welcome, Brandi! Just what the band needed!

OZRIC TENTACLES Spirals in Hyperspace (2004)

Ed and company with an unusually large cast of guest contributors--including Steve Hillage and the debut of newcomer (and daughter) Brandi Wynne!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, keyboards, programming, producer
- Steve Hillage / guitar & synths (7)
- Miquette Giraudy / guitar & synths (7)
- Christopher Lenox-Smith / synths & "bubbles" (6), "kindling" (1)
- John Egan / flute, ney & dudek (6,9)
- Zia Geelani / bass (6)
- Brandi Wynne / glide bass (1), "spikes" (5)
- Stuart Fisher / drums (1,6,9)
- Merv Pepler / drum programming & sampling (8)

1. "Chewier" (5:26) a little heavier space funk than the usual fare due to Brandi Wynne's rather low-register note play (on the "glide bass"?), Stuart Fisher's prominently-mixed drums and some lower-than-usual synth programming. Nice, driving music thought not as melodic as one might like. (8.75/10)

2. "Spirals in Hyperspace" (9:51) opening with more low-end synth programming with which drum programming is played. Nice dreamy synth/electric piano chord play and synths enter in the second minute. Because of the intricate keyboard work this one takes on a much more jazzy feel and flavor. I like this! At 2:20 Ed's searing VAI-SATRIANI-rock guitar enters for a bit in the center stage spotlight but then yields back to the keys. Great stuff! Around the five minute mark there is a slight tangent into a rock bridge before returning to the main motif for some more stellar keyboard work. Weird flute work is the next guest performer (from the "ney"?) Ed's guitar gets another nod in the seventh minute for about 30-seconds, alternates with keys, and then retakes the lead a minute later. In the ninth minute the band slides into a more blues-rock mode rhythmically as the guitars and keys just keep blasting their way across the universe. Very nice instrumental performances across the board on a sonic tapestry that rather works. (18.125/20)

3. "Slinky" (8:39) more low-end synth programming with lite "drum" support and airy electric piano synth play over the top. More layers of synth noises work their way into a weave. I very much like the thinner quality of this sound field as I can easily pick out all of the nuanced complexities that each instrument is submitting to the weave. What sounds like Steve Hillage's heavily-treated guitar starts to shred through the cosmic ether at the six-minute mark, adding great dignity to the interstellar chase. (If that's not Steve Hillage then mega kudos to Ed for such an amazing impersonation!) Good song! (18/20)

4. "Toka Tola" (7:46) back to a harder-driving, bluesier foundation over which synth drums and interesting keys (old and new) play. Nice "bass" lines and synth drumming in the more-spacious third and fourth minutes. There's quite a little PAUL HARDCASTLE sound and feel to this. The tempo really picks up in the fifth minute--I feel like I'm in the middle of Todd Rundgren's "Treatise on Cosmic Fire" from his Initiation album! Then there is a sudden lull before the band re-starts a kind of J-R Fuse rhythm track for some spacey synth work that sounds like a musical rendering of the subatomic world. Excellent song. Easily my favorite on the album. (14.5/15)

5. "Plasmoid" (5:17) stretched-rubber sounds ("spikes"?) open this one before synth bass and synth drum programs kick in. Nice rhythm and lead guitar work the second minute: funky and rockin'--as well as the expanded variation of Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" vocoder. The fourth minute is more about percussion work, percussion patterns (again bringing "Rockit" to mind). Starting at 4:10 there is a slow speed up of the programming to a more third or fourth gear speed. Pretty cool song with great inventive sound creation. (9.25/10)

6. "Oakum" (9:03) water/underwater sounds precede some cool synth marimba sequencing. This plays for quite a while with various synth and percussive incidentals making their appearances from the sidelines. At 2:50 the low end rhythm instruments jump in and the keyboard tracks multiply. At 3:33 PETRI WALLI-like echoed guitar enters with more drum kit-sounding drum patterning (which are, in fact, real "live" drums from Stuart Fisher). The alternating (duelling?) synth and guitar soloing that follows is some of the best I've ever heard from this band. (The KINGSTON WALL sound and feel doesn't hurt, either.) Another top three song for me. Cool bass play from Zia Geelani in the eighth minute and beyond. (19/20)

7. "Akasha" (7:27) multiple guest guitarists are cited for this one--and they're wonderful--but the synth bass play and other keyboards may be just as impressive if not more. Very solid, high quality song--especially that bass play--even including some very engaging textural weaves, both harmonically and melodically. (14/15)

8. "Psychic Chasm" (8:44) a two-part song with the first pastoral and Garden of Eden-like while the second, switched into in the fourth minute, very trip-hoppy with use of the ultra-low bass+bass drum made famous by Soul II Soul over ten years prior. Ed's searing echo-effected lead guitar play in the seventh minute fades off into some more tribal sounds: percussion and shamanic voice effects. Floaty guitar notes enter and take off in the eighth minute, occupying a background or side-bar position while the synths and electronic percussives occupy the front and center stage. Interesting! (17.75/20)

9. "Zoemetra" (7:23) jungle Indian sound palette with some syncopated percussives providing the rhythm track while Ed's great nylon-string acoustic guitar work reinforces the song's world music nature. "Oriental synth" melodies and various flute sounds parade across the soundscape while Stuart Fisher's drums and more synth bass work continue to move the song along at an insistent pace while the rest of the instrumentalists step back to offer only occasional and intermittent ejaculates. Though Stuart's drums sound synthesized or programmed (like the Ben Watt's work on Everything But The Girl's Walking Wounded album), I believe they are just treated. Ending with pure jungle sounds. (13.375/15)

Total Time 69:36

I have to say, of all the Ozric Tentacles albums, this is one of the more impressive and satisfying ones: there are no fillers or fluff or "recycled" or "stereotypic" OT songs here, it's all fresh, expertly designed, performed and engineered, as well as highly engaging. Mega kudos, Ed &Co! You've somehow managed to inject new life--and fresh energy and creativity--back into your music.

90.86 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music from a team of computer-synth and sound-engineering masters.

OZRIC TENTACLES Swirly Termination (2000)

Ed Wynne and his Ozric friends are nearing the end of an era with this album. Though the music isn't sounding tired, it is feeling somewhat formulaic and repetitive.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, keyboards
- Christopher Lenox-Smith / keyboards
- John Egan / flute, vocals
- Zia Geelani / bass
- Conrad Prince / drums, percussion

1. "Steep" (3:12) the best song on the album for its fresh, pastoral world music take, great bass sound (and play) and great DAVE GILMOUR-like rock lead guitar. (9/10)

2. "Space Out" (8:28) what starts out with some promise turns sour with its disco drum beat. (17.375/20)

3. "Pyoing" (4:29) solid rock rhythm foundation with JLP synth weave over the top pans out to be nothing more than another Star Wars video game soundtrack. Not even Ed's inventive "Middle Eastern" electric guitar solo in the second minute can save this one--though the tightening of the bass and drums in the third minute is an improvement--as is the addition of the Petri Walli guitar play thereafter. The long drawn out finale also diminishes the powerful mid-section. (8.875/10)

4. "Far Dreaming" (5:24) a song made up of several threads that are kind of at odds with one another. Interesting but ultimately feeling more like an experiment in combining that fails to deliver the desired magic. (8.75/10)

5. "Waldorfdub" (6:13) another one of the boys' variations on the Reggae music. Though this song is interesting for its bare-bones exhibition of percussion, it is ultimately kind of boring. (8.6666667/10)

6. "Kick 98" (6:03) a nice PETRI WALLI/KINGSTON WALL opening guitar is diminished by the movement and reversion into more comfortable OT sounds and individual styles. (8.75/10)

7. "Voy Mandala" (11:52) a pretty good song with strong Southeast Asian representation is marred by the Jamaican Reggae bass play. Also, Conrad Prince's drum play here just struggles to fit with A) Zia Geelani's bass play and B) the rest of the music. The scond half is, however, a little better--once Zia leaves behind the Reggae bass lines and Conrad is able to sync up better. (21.75/25)

Total Time: 45:01

Despite the fact that I do love to hear the "real" instruments being played (as opposed to the computer-programmed tracks that will dominate the future albums (starting with Spirals in Hyperspace), my feeling is that the band in its current lineup, form, and orientation has "played itself out." I welcome the arrival of the next gen of musicians (Ed's kids) and the 21st Century computer engineering. Even the swan-song album of this lineup and form, the highly-acclaimed live album, Live at the Pongmasters Ball, feels more akin to these "end of the century" albums than it does to the "future" sound that Ed and family ignite in 2004.

87.54 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a fine representative of the Space/Psychedelic sub-genre, just not up to creative and innovative standards of other OT albums.

OZRIC TENTACLES The Hidden Step (2000)

Do these guys ever make a bad album? I'm guessing not. This is one I'd put in my top 5 of theirs (along with ten others).

Line-up / Musicians:

- Ed Wynne / guitar, synths, sampler

- Christopher Lenox-Smith / synths

- John Egan / flute

- Zia Geelani / bass

- Conrad Prince / drums, percussion

1. "Holohedron" (5:49) like a car driving through city traffic, this one is stop and go, at times squirting through traffic like Neo through the Matrix--matter of fact, this one has a bit of that sound and feel: as if the film The Matrix might have had a little influence on Ed and the gang. (8.75/10)

2. "The Hidden Step" (7:47) a synth opening that could rival anything by any Berlin School electronic artist, the rhythm section soon joins in to launch and steer them toward the Alpine roads. I'm not a super fan of the two bounce-chords coming from the keyboard while Ed thrashes and slices with his axe, but then a different autobahn-speed section takes over which Ed and the synth-master shapeshift and time-bend. Then things drop away and we're left skating here-and-there through a cosmic radiation storm, all the while the pulse of the Galactic Logos continues its organizing guidance from below. (13/15)

3. "Ashlandi Bol" (6:04) opens with a Middle Eastern sounding synth performing a Middle Eastern-sounding melody around which the rest of the band joins forces to support and embellish. The song never really develops as one might think or hope--kind of meanders, starting and stopping several times without ever really developing a consistent theme or hook. (8.5/10)

4. "AraManu" (5:59) more Middle Eastern themes--even the sheep, goats, caravan and/or open air market place to set the mood (90 seconds of this before a drum beat or second instrument is even introduced). The main theme being established in the second and third minutes seems ominous--like the music for a scene from a spy novel set in the Arabian "third" world. in the fourth minute it's really just been a drum and synth arpeggio show, but finally some folk "flutes" join in as the background fill with space synths. In the end, this just feels as if it was meant for a cinematic scene. (8.25/10)

5. "Pixel Dream" (6:21) guitar and rolling bass line open this before drums and some background synths join in to fill the traveller's mix tape. Swirling organ takes the lead before morphing into a couple of other spacey synths before Ed takes off with his searing space-renting shooting star solo. Feels kind of SANTANAesque. (8.5/10)

6. "Tight Spin" (8:45) lots of computer glitch-type of sounds in the lead above the solid, driving rhythm tracks here. it's kind of cool (and different without the dominance of Ed's searing electric guitar). Sizzling acoustic guitar soloing with Arabian percussion in the final two minutes. Could be a popular rave party dance song. (17.75/20)

7. "Ta Khut" (7:05) opens with solo bamboo flute, wind chimes, and animal bells looped on fast-play. Pretty and cool. At the 2:45 mark djembe, acoustic guitar, and sitar-like Middle Eastern stringed instrument take over before being joined by bass, hand shakers, and the same bamboo flute to create some very authentic sounding Middle Eastern soundscapes. It feels like a montage and not really acomplete song, but it's still good. (13/15)

Total Time: 47:50

The Ozrics' most Oriental/Middle Eastern dominated album, to be sure.

86.39 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice addition to any prog lover's music collection.

OZRIC TENTACLES Waterfall Cities (1999)

Ed and company close out the 20th Century with the Ozrics' 13th release of cosmic otherworldliness.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synth
- Christopher Lenox-Smith / synth
- John Egan / flute
- Zia Geelani / bass
- Conrad Prince / drums

1. "Coily" (7:19) a nice driving effort by the bass and drums rhythm section is spoiled by one of my least favorite synth sounds (like a saw) and equally abrasive edge to the guitar sound of choice. Pleasing melodies seem to be far from the band's minds as they just plunge forward with more mathematical "Egyptian" lines and sounds (including John Egan's flute). While I appreciate the effort to try to "re-"create possible ancient musical sounds and melodies, I still think most humans appreciate something they can connect with more than things esoteric. (13/15)

2. "Xingu" (7:27) a much better opening with Ed's mesmerizing heavily-flanged guitar-sounding synth line winning me over from the start. The second line, however, is just a bit too weird, but then the Lebanese synth wash makes up for it. The soft and sustained synth lines over the steady rhythm track and intermittent quick-descending cartoon arpeggio in the second half is okay. (13.125/15)

3. "Waterfall City" (11:03) this is the kind of music that Ozrics is all about: space trekking at hyperspeeds, encountering weird creatures, systems, and phenomenon while cruising around the outer edges of ours and other universes. I love the "calm, peaceful" section in the sixth and seventh minutes as the starship continues to cruise at speeds just under the speed of light--which is then followed by an awesome frog belching Tiesto house rave section before finally closing out. My favorite song on the album. A great OT song! (18.75/20)

4. "Ch'ai?" (5:03) the title's Chinese reference is definitely in order for this song despite the similarity to some of Pat Metheny's music in the sound and rhythmic choices. I actually love the syncopated, stop-and-go nature of this track's flow--minus the funk-bass lines dominating the third minute. Ed's guitar seers in the fourth minute on a level that is both old and new despite the funk-Chinese stuff going on beneath. Then we're back to Charlie Chan soundtrack music for the final 80 seconds. Another top three song for me. (9/10)

5. "Spiralmind" (11:40) despite the presence of plenty of swirling, spiralling synths, this is the song that sounds most representative of an advanced civilization's urban waterfall problem (or blessing). The synth lines sounds a lot like something off of Jurassic Shift, but the bass and acoustic guitar play are more funk and world music oriented. Ed is so in tune with bassist Zia Geelani's extraordinary work here. Work like this makes the band worthy of comparisons to top notch jazz fusion bands like Al Di Meola-era RETURN TO FOREVER. My other top three song. (18.5/20)


6. "Sultana Detrii" (9:17) Just when the grooves of three great space/world songs in a row were starting to lull me into high flattery and lure me into mega-fandom, the band has to remind me that they always reserve one song per album to the praise of Jamaica's #1 export: man! the most boring and homogeneously type-cast musical style of all (yes, even more than Gregorian chant). Luckily, the band moves to Honduran and Gamelan edges to blend into (or even supplant) the Rastafarian tradition enough to win me back. (I am NOT a fan of Reggae music--and even less so of cocky pretenders and usurpers). (17.5/20)


7. "Aura Borealis" (5:40) a Korg Wave Station put to great use! Me likey! Around 2:20 the music goes more solo funk synth as drummer Conrad Prince continues to dance around his cymbals and hi-hat, but then synths start to multiple and branch out, filling the soundscape before taking time for some soloing and, eventually, slowing down and shutting down. Kind of cool! (8.875/10)

Total Time: 57:29

I've never heard how or why Ed Wynne and company found such a draw to Middle Eastern instrumental sounds and melody lines (maybe hanging out too much in falafel and tabouli restaurants) but it often gets a little old. I love the jungle sounds and "other worldly"spacier stuff better.

Their sound is great, their musicianship has never been better (especially from the bass department), and their unique formula has never been tighter. Perhaps that's why this album earns the fourth-highest ratings score of the ten OT albums I've reviewed.

89.77 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz-rock fused world space prog. Definitely one of the best OT albums that I've heard: the band is so polished! No wonder the Progmasters Ball concert less than two years in the future is so revered. These guys are so in sync!

OZRIC TENTACLES Curious Corn (1997)

What's not to like about an Ozric Tentacles album?

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitars, synth, "mists"
- Christoper Lenox-Smith / synth, "strands"
- John Egan / flutes, ney, bansuri
- Zia Geelani / bass, "spongebag"
- Conrad Prince / drums, "spiders"

1. "Spyroid" (3:47) Berlin School electronic sequence opening evolves with incidentals and percussion. Morphs into more psychedelia than Klaus or TD. (8.75/10)

2. "Oolite Grove" (5:57) one of the more rock-guitar-hero songs I've ever heard from Ed & OT: like 1974-5 Todd Rundgren, Petri Walli (Kingston Wall), Al DiMeola, Jimi Hendrix, or even Robin Trower. A top three song for me. (9/10)

3. "Afroclonk" (8:06) the title says it all. Jam using African-Carribbean sounds and percussives. (13/15)

4. "Curious Corn" (10:56) like a OT rendition of Jan Hammer's Miami Vice Theme. (17.75/20)

5. "Oddentity" (7:00) opens just like "Jurassic Shift"--even with the first lead instrument continues to hold that vibe. I like it but it's a little too close to the original. (13/15)

6. "Papyrus" (5:32) a kind of metal take on Middle Eastern/Arabian sound. The guitars and drums are a bit too aggressive for my tastes. (8.25/10)

7. "Meander" (5:13) bubbly swamp synth noises with high speed bass guitar sequence is joined by STEVE HILLLAGE-like floating guitar and plenty of layers of high speed synth arpeggio sequenced. Bansurai and then seering electric guitar join in. This is totally awesome! Too bad it ends with a little too much quietude. (9/10)

Total Time: 46:31

Again: How can one not like an Ozrics album?

87.50 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection. Nobody quite creates the exotic space-psychedelic soundscapes of Ozric Tentacles.

OZRIC TENTACLES Become the Other (1995)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitars, synths, sampler, soundscapes
- Christoper Lenox-Smith / synths, textures
- John Egan / flutes
- Zia Geelani / bass, castanets
- Conrad Prince / drums, percussion
With:
- Jim O'Roon / percussion (5)

1. "Cat DNA" (6:28) an all-out hard-drivin' rock 'n' roll song with some extraordinary guitar work impressing over the solid bass and drums rhythm section and synth interplay, the sound of this one is so good: with all instrumentalists sounding truly inspired and fully-engaged. The music is a little rooted in old rock 'n' roll forms and palettes, but it's good. Ed, in particular, is on fire with his electric guitar play--both soloing and chord play. It's weird: according to the credits John Egan is playing flutes but my ear cannot detect them--which means that they're probably so heavily-treated that I think they're a synthesizer. (9.125/10)

2. "Ahu Belahu" (2:55) the sounds of large animals (predators by the mood being cast by the music) carousing around an exotic stream. Nice percussion and synth work from Conrad, Zia and Christopher Lenox-Smith. (8.875/10)

3. "Ghedengi" (5:41)a very TANGERINE DREAM-like song whose musical sounds all feel computer generated--even the bass and drums. Scenario-like AL DI MEOLA like guitars enter in the second half of the second minute. Cross-melodies are expressed in the third minute before a stoppage and eerie wait-for-the-volcano-to-stop-spewing delay before the band restarts the initial motif to play out to the end. (8.875/10)

4. "Wob Glass" (7:50) an okay rhythm track that again has me thinking that the bass and drums are totally computer-generated. Synths lay down some interesting sounds and textures over the top. This is not a bad song except for the fact that I keep waiting (and hoping) for something extraordinary to burst out at me, but, alas! it never happens. Even the cool weave in the fifth minute and Ed's "breakout" guitar foray in the sixth fall short of what I'm hoping for. (13.125/15)

5. "Neurochasm" (6:47) nice palette of instrumental sound choices (and a song in which drums and bass finally sound like drums and bass) but, even though it's a fairly hard-driving rock song, it's not until the 3:20 mark that anything exciting really kicks in. Ed's guitar feels as if he's trying to reach for Satriani/Vai territory. Not bad! Flutes in the fifth minute (yes, real flutes)! (The longer the song goes on the more I hear TONE LOC's "Wild Thing" bass line!) (13.125/15)

6. "Become the Other" (6:24) another lush sonic landscape that sounds as if it came from AL DI MEOLA's Scenario album. Multiple guitar tracks, sometimes mellow and moody, sometimes fiery, or even very pregnant (as if he's holding back--just building up to something fiery) keep the listener enrapt with expectant tension. Finally, around the four-minute mark--in the background--it starts to happen! But then it returns to the moody, ethereal Scenario motif for the final two minutes. Nice music; it's just that, again, I was kind of expecting something … more. (9/10)

7. "Vibuthi" (10:52) acoustic "guitar" of some sort seeming to solo while sitting next to a waterfall inside an Indian or Middle Eastern temple grounds or ashram. At the 90-second mark flute joins in with Ed's virtuosic melody-making for a bit before the rest of the band finally kicks in at the 1:52 mark. Definitely a music that is directly derived from some Oriental tradition--the study of if not the direct copying of. The flutist, bass player, and drummer all perform admirably. Even when Ed takes the melody play to his electric guitar the music remains quite true to its traditional world music roots. And what's even nicer is that the melody and harmony lines all remain catchy and engaging throughout. As the music slowly moves more and more into full-on rock 'n' roll in the seventh and eighth minutes it really rocks! But then it pauses to reconsider and then falls back into its more ethnic world music instrumental palette and melodic sensibilities. Interesting appearance of two organs in the ninth minute: sounding as if two small organs in a Jerusalem church were duelling with one another. Though the song loses its charm a bit when it keeps sliding over into the rock realms, it is quite an admirable feat of ethnic captivity--as well as quite a convincing display of teamwork. (18.25/20)

8. "Plurnstyle" (7:46) bass player Zia Geelani's style hugs a bit too closely to Reggae traditions in this one for my tastes (and enjoyment), but the laid back weave created by the rest of the musicians is quite pleasing--and even impressive. It is always such a pleasure to experience the otherworldly (or alternate-world) places that the  beautifully-engineered soundscapes of any Ozric Tentacles song takes one to. After six and a half minutes of just messing around, Ed steps in with his axe to do some shredding. Again it feels as if he is trying to reach for heights that others have achieved: but somehow it comes out more like emulation than the realization of original sounds or ideas. (13.25/15)

Total Time: 54:43

An album of quite-listenable and competent songscapes that somehow manage to fall short in terms of reaching the heights one might hope for from these seasoned musicians.

89.166667 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of spacey world music prog. 

OZRIC TENTACLES Arborescence (1994)

The band's fifth studio album release since they "made it" (tenth--in ten years--if you count all of the 1980s' self-produced cassette tapes).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synth
- Joie Hinton / synth
- John Egan / flute
- Zia Geelani / bass
- Merv Pepler / drums, percussion

1. "Astro Cortex" (5:21) raunchy rock sounds drive this high speed song. I like the cleaner, more nature-infused OT better. (8.66710)

2. "Yog-Bar-Og" (9:40) opens with a weave of some minimalism and cheap synths. Have the band members had to retool with a low budget? In the third minute we finally get some wonderful premier keyboard playing and sounds, but then Ed's raunchy guitar strumming and some crazed vocal ejaculations take it into another, seedier direction. Keyboard reset is joined by bass before Ed finally gets with the POT program with some very impressive guitar playing around the five-minute mark. The JON HASSELL-like breathy flute in the sixth minute is cool. Thank the gods that the band has the sense to break things down and allow a gentler, calmer support weave for this section. A song that began more frenetically and irritatingly than I'd hoped finally presents some magical moments. (17.75/20)

3. "Arborescence" (4:54) flute and jungle noises open this one before synths enter and perform a section that sounds like an underwater piano concert. In the second minute an equally aqueous bass joins in before return of flute and other incidental voices, etc. also flit in and out of the sonic solution. Though this is not one of Ozrics' typical move and groove tunes, I like the textural experimentation the band have undertaken here. Too bad they felt the need for a shredding electric guitar in the end section as it quite spoils the mood and feels incongruous with the aqueous vibe being presented here. (8.75/10)

4. "Al-Salooq" (5:03) the sheer ordinary-ness of this music is so disappointing! As if the band is just free form soloing with no regard for cohesion or consistency. Just throw a million riffs, sounds, and/or random ideas into the mix and call it a song. Yuck! (8.5/10)

5. "Dance of the Loomi" (5:15) Finally, a smooth space groove! It delivers all the dance and move power that you want (and expect) from a OT classic only it lacks some of the melodic punch from the top. (8.75/10)

6. "Myriapod" (5:59) back to the raucous rock sound with Ed's hard-rockin' guitar leading the way--overwhelming all of the synth work. Drums and bass continue to speed the song along as Ed takes a reprieve to allow some synth play to show through--which makes for an overall improved experience for me, the listener. Still, nothing melodic really gets established, it's all just filler solos and sounds, no melody. There is some impressive guitar soloing in the second half, if you're willing. (8.667/10)

7. "There's a Planet Here" (6:40) one of the band's routine Reggae-infused bass-and-drums slow jams over which synths are allowed to fill and play (which I like). Why the band is choosing to avoid melodies--or leave them to the bass or free-form incidentals--is beyond comprehension to me. Maybe they're going through a bored, free-form jazz stage of development. Halfway through some percussion, synth chord play and flute make it a little more interesting. (8.667/10)

8. "Shima Koto" (6:24) very quickly the band establishes a very satisfying full-band weave within which synths take turns throwing a vast array of sounds and flourishes at us. The rhythm track in support sounds very much like The Police's "Synchronicity II". Without the presence of Ed's abrasive electric guitar the OT music scapes are so much more enjoyable. (8.75/10)

Total time 49:16

I'm so sad at how ordinary and uncreative the music sounds on this album! It's as if the band were caving to the pressures of time and money to create something--as if they never had any time or inspiration to really get into their music--to enjoy and celebrate their creativity. Plus, I think I'm just not enjoying Ed Wynne's guitar sound any more; as accomplished as he is a guitarist, he needs some fresh sounds.

87.22 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection--though, in my opinion, this album represents a low ebb if you're a fan of Ozrics music.

 

OZRIC TENTACLES Jurassic Shift (1993)

Producing albums since 1985, Ed Wynne and company (aka OZRIC TENTACLES)'s 1990 and 1993 albums, Erpland and Jurassic Shift, respectively, achieved the blend of quality production, recording, composition, and performance to elevate the band into the pantheon of 'significant' progressive rock musicians. Categorized a "psychedelic/space rock" band because of their jam band instrumental approach and heavy reliance on synths, "world" percussives, rhythms, instruments and sounds, and Ed Wynne's guitar soloing, the Ozrics are so much more. (The reputation of their live concerts does seem to draw similarities to those of PHISH, GROBSCHNITT, or THE GRATEFUL DEAD.) Jurassic Shift is my favorite OT album. Published in April of 1993, this modern world instrument- and synthesizer-infused jazz-rock fusion band from the UK led by guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Ed Wynne had just come off the release of their second live album after eight studio albums in eight years. With JS it seems that the band had made the complete synthesis, balance, and maturation of their spacey sound with pristine sound reproduction and production.

1. "Sunhair" (5:43) from the opening percussive synthesizer sequence I knew that this was going to be a band I like and that this song album and song were to be amazing. Once full band joins in there are sections of Japanese garden-like sounds, odd crowd/bird sounds, swirling synth solos and wailing rock guitar soli all alternating in perfect time durations. Awesome opener! (9.5/10)

2. "Stretchy" (6:51) here the band puts on display the unique way in which they have incorporated the awesome array of synthesizer sounds and capabilities becoming available at the beginning of the Nineties--many of which were rather unfortunately relegated to the realms of New Age and Buddha Lounge/World Music. The song cruises along at a fast pace from the get go with a vast array of synth sounds being incorporated over the driving drum and bass play. Great tune for moving! (9/10)

3. "Feng Shui" (10:24) opening with flute soloing meditatively over garden-like synth washes and incidental percussives until a synth sequence and drums and bass enter at the 1:30 mark establishing a Lots of Holger-Czukay-like radio samples woven into the tapestry. At the end of the third minute some really gorgeous synth chords enter before leaving to isolate the bass and Jamaica-like drum/percussives in order to throw a veritable flood of idiosyncronous synth-generated spacey-"jungle" sounds at us. Koto takes the lead within the mix for the sixth minute. Then a more familiar organ-like synth bumps some chords at us during the seventh minute before devolving into more synth soloing from some odd & delay/echoed synth sound. The 8:00 mark sees a dramatic shift into high octane power rock with a whole change in tempo (faster) and style. For creativity this is an astonishing song; melodically it may be found lacking a bit. (17.5/20)

4. "Half Light in Thillai" (5:36) this one opens with sounds and style that are very familiar to me for my obsession with all things the Brothers Gordon (Steve and David) founders of Sequoia Records and musicians behind many of the great New Age yoga and drum circle/dance albums of the 1980s (the Inner Music and Sacred Earth Drums series') as well as bands like DEEP FOREST. Slow, methodic and aboriginal, the rhythm tracks allow for some nice flute, guitar, and synth incidentals. The final minute and more finds some excellent acoustic guitar work. (8.5/10)

5. "Jurassic Shift" (11:06) simply the best song on the album and the most truly prog of them all with some outstanding electric guitar work--both lead and rhythm--over the amazingly engaging groove coming from the rhythm tracks. This is where we get served notice that Ed Wynne is a guitar god--eleven minutes of such service! The quiet middle section is quite reminiscent of some Al Di Meola's softer stuff--like from Scenario on. (20/20)

6. "Pteranodon" (5:41) takes us back to a Jurassic-kind of time with heavy, plodding bass and drum lines supporting long sustained decaying synth "screams." The island/jungle/tribal-like percussives only add to the effect as do the "alien"-like synth ejaculations in the second half of the second minute. Searing electric guitar solo opens the third minute before relinquishing its lead to more of the synth (and violin?) ejaculations and "screams." Again, from a creativity aspect, this song is incredible! AND it hits on all cylinders with the engaging groove and story being "told." (9/10)

7. "Train Oasis" (2:46) opens with a quickly established PAT METHENY GROUP-like groove (though using a synthesizer for bass). Creative midi-synth soloing on multiple levels (tracks?) and nice chord progressions and melody constructions. (9/10)

8. "Vita Voom" (4:48) Timbales and bass & guitar open this one presenting an almost punk/techno pop beat before incidental samples are thrown at us from the computer keyboard. At the end of the opening minute the lead electric guitar gives us a little more structure with its ostinati. Flute gets a turn to shine in the third minute--though its treatments sometimes almost obscure it. Spanish-flavored acoustic guitar is added and then Spanish-flavored lead electric guitar wails over the now distinctly Latin-infused song. (9/10)

91.50 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of innovative progressive rock music, especially valuable for its example to other space jam bands.

OZRIC TENTACLES Strangeitude (1991)

At this point, with this, their eighth studio release, the band's albums and song styles have not quite turned so formulaic as to overstretch the soundmakers' creativity and cause the listener buyer's recourse due to repetition and overfamiliarity.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitars, synthesizer, sampling & programming, producer
- Joie Hinton / synthesizer, "bubbles", bongos (4 bonus CD)
- John Egan / flute, voice
- Roly Wynne / bass
- Merv Pepler / drums

1. "White Rhino Tea" (5:55) the band going for something heavier--almost in the TED NUGENT vein of music. Some really cool elements but, as a whole it just doesn't come together well. (8.75/10)

2. "Sploosh! (6:24) real water sounds with TD sequencer joined by synth sploosh bass and flanged bass start this one off but the recordings of water being manipulated seem to be the lead instrument that everything else is trying to buoy. In the third minute speed-manipulated guitar play enters for a bit but alternates with splooshy sounds and other keyboard oddities every 20 seconds or so. I'm sure this was fun to create in the studio, but as a listening pleasure it holds little interest. (8.6666667/10)

3. "Saucers" (7:30) the band moves into its now-recognizable Arabian-influenced musical spectrum with some fancy almost-Bayou guitar and rock drums and bass. Spacey keys join in during the second minute. The melody picked up at the two-minute mark for the "chorus" is very familiar from (so many) other OT songs of this ilk. About halfway through, as the soundscape thickens, the Arabian flavours turn more Spanish--and hold this way throughout the more rockin' second half. (13.25/15)

4. "Strangeitude" (7:29) Arabian nose horn opens this as if a call to prayer while monstrous bass notes float and morph ominously beneath. a great groove from the rhythm section drives this one into and through multiple aural dimensions without suffering veer or deviation. Some very sound manipulation at the beginning of the fourth minute cuts off the opening motif, cleaning the slate for a totally new groove to set up. It sounds like the dance music from The Matrix Reloaded (which doesn't come out for another 12 years). Then alien voices and other odd "vocal"izations flit in and out while the future rave continues. Pretty cool. The coolest, most original and innovative song on the album. (13.5/15)

5. "Bizarre Bazaar" (4:04) a very engaging song with Nature/animal sounds (of course) but a nice jazz-rock fusion flow and feel to it (with some Arabian inflections). (8.875/10)

6. "Space Between Your Ears" (7:46) time for a jaunt into Rastafarian jungle lands. The bass holds the line with spacious drumming doing the Jamaican time keeping while a wild assortment of odd noises are thrown into the soup--until the third minute when a righteous slide guitar seems to want to direct traffic--but then, lo! and behold! it just disappears, allowing more oddities and keyboard sounds to be thrown in. It's like we're viewing a constantly flowing jumble of random items (thoughts and ideas). I like the shift in drumming (percussion) in the fourth minute and then the hyper bass in the fifth--before the guitar re-enters to wail away. Pretty cool song despite my usual aversion to all-things Reggae. The final two minutes are pure rockin' jam-ba-lam. (13.35/15)

Total Time: 39:08

88.52 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent display of creative sound engineering over great grooves.

OZRIC TENTACLES Erpland (1990)

For many people, this is the album that finally launched Ozrics into prominence and respect--the album in which the band meshed to produce some really fine, engaging compositions all performed with great band cohesion and skill.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / acoustic & electric guitars, synthesizer, programming, sampling, bass (10), producer
- Joie Hinton / synthesizer, sampling
- John Egan / flute, voice (11)
- Roly Wynne / bass, fretless bass (5)
- Merv Pepler / drums
- Paul Hankin / percussion (congas, bells, shaker, talking drum)
- Marcus Carcus / ethnic percussion (tabla, shaker, tambourine, congas, bongos)
With:
- Steve Everett / synthesizer (9), sampling (5, 9)
- Tom Brooks / Reggae "bubbles" - EMS synth swoops (11)
- Generator John / tambourine (11)
- Neil Coles / bodhrán (12)

1. "Eternal Wheel" (8:20) bouncy synths pan around the field before chunky low-end bass and steady drum beat root this one into an engaging, hair-thrashing groove. Then Ed Wynne's heavily treated bluesy lead guitar enters and takes over (and almost never stops!) Bass and drums sure shine on this--as does the foundational contributions of the airy synths. Fun to listen for the odd percussives and synth flourishes occasionally thrown into the mix. And cool synth-treated & -accompanied flute play near the end. Great opener! (18.25/20)

2. "Toltec Spring" (3:03) very pleasant slow groove that makes you feel as if you are walking through a jungle while paying attention to the amazing array of flora and fauna around and above you. Great melody, too. Gorgeous and mesmerizing! (9.5/10)

3. "Tidal Convergence" (7:14) awesome spacey synths and percussives open this one before funky bass line and full speed drums join in just before the end of the first minute. Melodic shift at the two minute mark signals the entry of Ed Wynne's searing lead guitar (though it stays in the background). After a little bridge/diversion, the original "verse" returns with Ed playing some very cool combinations of whip-strummed treble chords over the top at 2:30. At 4:20, after another round of verse and "chorus" (these are all instrumentals, we must remember), Ed bursts into the lead with some impressive lead guitar over the third verse. It's a highly charged and very engaging & upbeat cosmic jam. (14.25/15)

4. "Sunscape" (4:02) opens with picked acoustic guitar arpeggi that are joined by layers of other instruments, many percussive, before flute and electric guitars take on the lead roles. Reminds a lot of Corrado Rustici's 1970s NOVA project--especially the Vimana album. Unfortunately, this one doesn't quite come together or soar to the heights of the previous three songs. (8.5/10)

5. "Mysticum Arabicola" (9:14) opens with weird samples before letting an Arabian sounding instrument, sound, and multi-instrumental pattern establish itself as the foundational groove. The instrumental array and arrangement is very impressive--as are the lead performances, but the foundational riff/pattern, I think, needs more development, more variation, and more length to it in order for it to not become aggravating/annoying. This song is really more of a showcase for the exotic instruments and the percussionists. (16/20)

6. "Cracker Blocks" (5:40) more exotic percussives with arpeggi of guitar harmonics and steady background synth support (and ChapmanStick-sounding bass notes) for the first two minutes. New subtle instruments join in in the third minute giving the song a "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls" feel to it. It's a pretty cool, almost Crimsonian weave. Could've used a little more development or shifts and variation but it's a pretty cool, interesting, and immersive song. (8.75/10)

7. "The Throbbe" (6:21) Opens with a MARK ISHAM horn and synth soundtrack feel to it. At 0:57 a tin can hit and drum beat and bass-synth note establish themselves as the baseline groove, signaling the step into the meat of the song. An Arabian male vocalise becomes the lead instrument. Synth player takes over "lead" in the third and fourth minutes while percussionists and Ed's STEVE HILLAGE-like delay/echo guitar snakes around beneath the baseline groove. (8.75/10)

8. "Erpland" (5:32) opens with a POLICE "Synchronicity"-like pace and sound while samplist has fun playing with all of his myriad sounds and noises. In the second minute Ed's straightforward guitar chord playing leads for a bit before spacey synths get some showtime. A second guitar chord chord pattern takes over in the third minute before pace and melody play quickens--electric guitar turning into lead soloist á la Steve HILLAGE. Great, complex section bridges this section at the end of the fourth minute into a new, super fast-paced multi-leveled jam in the fifth minute. Return to the "Synchrocity" formula for the final 30 seconds. (8.5/10)

9. "Valley of a Thousand Thoughts" (6:32) more jungle play--this time African. Love these guys' adventurousness! Once again, they follow the formula of 55-second intro before the foundational groove is established, and, like "Toltec Spring" song, the first three minutes are filled with so many subtleties that you can feel as if you're walking through a jungle, taking in all of the sights and sounds. A few rampages of searing guitar and percussives enter like wild animals. Simply awesome! (9.5/10)

10. "Snakepit" (3:17) a return to an Arabian themed song/sound at a medium pace, but then things amp up and the soundscape fills with many instruments and sound streams as Ed's heavily-treated guitar wails away. Not as engaging melodically as some of the others, but still impressive for its intricate weave. (8.5/10)

11. "Iscence" (4:37) settles into a Jamaican Rasta groove (bass, percussion sounds, and guitar/synth chord play stylings--though the drums are less succesful at mimicking the Rasta sounds and stylings) before male vocalise and assorted instruments bring in their added flourishes and passages. (8.5/10)

12. "A Gift of Wings" (9:46) very steady base of large percussion ensemble over which amazing lead performances from synths, treated guitars, Arabian stringed and wind instruments. Cool, cool, mesmerizing song! (18.75/20) = 9.375

Total Time: 73:38

88.87 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and a shining example of world-space jam fusion.

OZRIC TENTACLES Pungent Effulgent (1989)

Stepping into the world of professionally-engineered music and record company production and distribution, the Ozrics release their first album that will define their sound stylings and high quality engineering standards for the rest of their career. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synthesizer, producer
- Joie Hinton / synthesizer, sampling
- John Egan / flute, voice
- Roly Wynne / bass
- Merv Pepler / drums
- Paul Hankin / percussion
With:
- Nick van Gelder / drums (4)
- Generator John / drums (9)
- Marcus "Carcus" / percussion (8)

1. "Dissolution (The Clouds Disperse)" (6:15) opening with over a minute of one of my all-time favorite Ozrics techniques: the delay-echoed fast-arpeggiated guitar chord picking, the song eventually builds,  morphs and changes at 2;15 into a hard-drivin' space rocker that tries very hard, with the addition of vocals, to channel the space-psychedelic mastery of GONG and BRAINTICKET. (9/10)

2. "O-I" (3:58) a weird, sometimes blues-rockin' jam that introduces many sounds and instruments that will become Ozric mainstays for decades (to this day!) (8.75/10) 

3. "Phalarn Dawn" (7:34) layers of bird noises and spacey acoustic guitar fast-picking arpeggi open this before relenting to the deep bass thrum of cosmic silence. Eden emerges and sensuous drum and percussion begin to emerge and establish the heartbeat of Life to a new world. This drum-centric song is quite reminiscent of the work being done at the same time by David & Steve Gordon for their own Earthlight Center and Sequoia record labels. I like it. (13.25/15)

4. "The Domes of G'Bal" (4:35) moving into another of OT's signature musical styles: Cosmic Reggae, we get a nice foundation over which Ed does some nice soloing on his stripped-down acoustic-sounding electric guitar. (9/10)

5. "Shaping the Pelm" (6:08) more "exotic jungle" rhythms and sounds merged into a kind of Pat Metheny ethnic imagining. (8.75/10)

6. "Ayurvedic" (10:57) for the longest time this has quite the polished MAHAVISHNU sound and feel to it: as we're just waiting for Jan Hammer or Jerry Goodman/Jean-Luc Ponty to break out into some fiery solo (which actually does happen at the six-minute mark). But this is a much more multi-faceted, multi-styled song, crossing through many cultural/ethnic domains before finishing. The first half is most excellent; the Reggae-based final third not so much. (17.75/20)

7. "Kick Muck" (3:53) funk rock and roll! Great bass play from Roly Wynne with very engaging drums and percussion to help drive it all beneath, the sound chosen for the delivery of the lead instrument (guitar) is so odd as to detract from the great groove being provided by the rhythm section. Usual GONG-like Ozrics' space synth noises flit in and out throughout. Sad, disappointing "cut out" ending. (8.875/10)

8. "Agog in the Ether" (4:05) again with the jungle noises! Slow-building gamelan-patterned synth textures are eventually infused with saw-guitar and many other synth noises and hand percussives. This is such a brilliant weave! Very dreamy/meditative and relaxing (despite all of the activity around!). (9.25/10)

9. "Wreltch" (8:31) cool muffled bass percussion wending its way beneath a show of tuned percussion play for over two minutes before a solid, hard-driving jam opens up at 2:25. At the three-minute mark Ed launches on a most excellent solo while John Hinton's synthesizers offer full support. This is, however, short-lived as the lead torch gets handed off (as do the stylistic motifs above the drums and pulsing bass) over and over among the percussionists and synths. Drummer "Generation John" is most excellent in his song-driving (at times disco) play. A sprawling song exposition held together by that solid rhythm section (mostly the drums). (17.75/20)

Total Time: 55:56

I must say, the sound quality and overall production of this album are definitely steps above those of their previously self-made and self-released albums (all released as cassettes, I believe). Also, is it possible that some of the members of the band have some South/Southeast Asian heritage or have spent some time there? (compared to the Caribbean influences--which stand without question.) Their eclectic musical expressions seem to indicate a lot of cross-cultural pollination.

89.02 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and definitely a fine addition to any prog lover's music collection. Definitely the album you want to start your Ozrics addiction with!

OZRIC TENTACLES The Bits Between the Bits (1989 cassette release)

 

OZRIC TENTACLES Sliding Gliding Worlds (1988 cassette release)

OZRIC TENTACLES There Is Nothing (1986 cassette release)

OZRIC TENTACLES Tantric Obstacles (1985 cassette release)

OZRIC TENTACLES Erpsongs (1985 cassette release)

The very first release from Ed Wynne and the Ozrics. The band wasn't even signed to a label yet--these homemade song collections were released as self-made cassette tapes. A very obvious intention to copy/carry forward the torch of GONG.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar 
- Gavin Griffiths / guitar 
- Joie Hinton / synthesizers 
- Tom Brooks / synthesizers 
- Roly Wynne / bass 
- Tig (Nick van Gelder) / drums 
- Paul Hankin / percussion

1. "Velmwend" (4:38) a blues-rock based space jam that not even poor sound recording can hinder or hold back. (8.75/10)

2. "Fast Dots" (3:48) a little funk bass propels this one into Egypt's era of ancient astronauts. (8.5/10)

3. "Thyroid" (5:05) now using a slow, spacious reggae rhythm foundation to space out over. (8.5/10)

4. "Spiral Mind" (3:33) opens like a 1960s heavy blues-rock classic before the synths and two guitars take us from classic rock into alien space communiqués. A cool, cool song despite not really preview things to come for this band. (8.75/10)

5. "Synth On a Plinth" (1:59) solo synth play for the first 40 seconds until second keyboard joins in with a single repeated arpeggiated chord progression. (4.25/5) 

6. "Dharma Reggae" (4:56) feels like a late 1970s/1980s TANGERINE DREAM opening--even with the big, thick bass notes thrown intermittently into the mix. In the second minute drums start throwing their own hits and flourishes into the mix over the synth track until bass and drums finally emerge and sync up at 1:40 to provide a cool rhythm track beneath the still-streaming synth. At 2:39 more instruments start being thrown into the mix: first a wailing synth, some sample hits, rising synth chords, and, eventually, guitar strums and notes. Very cool experimental song construct. A top three song for me. (9/10)  

7. "Tidal Otherness" (5:41) nice weave of multiple space synths and searing background guitar find congealment with the arrival of bass and regular synth arpeggio around 1:15. Guitar continues to screech away back there as the rest of the weavers continue to remain fairly steadfast. Keyboard arpeggio comes forward a bit as guitar frenetics peak and then disappear. They return with a friend--a Richard Wright synth (VCS3?) soloing up front. More synths come and go as the sonic field fills and then fades. Pretty cool soundscape. (8.75/10)

8. "Erp Riff" (1:36) driving rock rhythm track with wah-guitar(s) and, later, synths. (4.25/5)

9. "Descension" (5:01) pensive JAN AKKERMAN-like guitar sound and chord sequence builds into spacey, distorted fullness before settling back and repeating itself. At 1:28 the guitar backs up to perform rhythm duties (with another guitar or two) while VCS3 takes the lead--but only for a short time before giving way to the AKKERMAN-like guitar again. Structured in an A-B-A-C-A-B format, the song proceeds as predicted--but there are some nice blues guitar solos. (8.75/10)

10. "Misty Gliss" (4:33) floating synth notes offer a kind of "Star Trek Theme" motif when, mixed with Steve Hillage GONG floating guitar and then Tangerine Dream percussive synth sequencing, establishes a foundation over which a VANGELIS-like synth solos. Later, the TD sequence becomes the lone foundation for the Gong-floating guitars and space synths to solo simultaneously. (8.75/10)

11. "Dots Thots" (2:49) a precursor to some of the stuff on Jurassic Shift. (4.25/5)

12. "Clock Drops" (2:49) true to its title, this Gamelan-imitational song establishes a minimalist weave that sounds like a clock (or room of clocks). The second half adds another TD-familiar sound and guitar style that will become integral to the entire Ozrics future. (4.25/5)

13. "Five Jam" (6:53) starts out with over a minute of solo heavily effected guitar strumming chords and notes away. Synthetic drums, two basses, and "distant" synth soloing provide backdrop for continued guitar soloing and experimentation. Halfway through, one of the guitarists gets serious: stepping up for some more front-and-center soloing. Nice bass behind. (13/15)

14. "Oddhamshaw" (6:18) from a live recording (cuz of the drum sound)? More raw Ozrics sound. (8.5/10)

Total Time: 59:39

Using some very fundamental song styles to build upon and experiment over, the band displays its own signatory sounds--many of which continue even to today. Just like the Ozrics of today (now operating under Ed Wynne's name) the band likes to make music. 14 songs; 60 minutes was a lot back in the cassette era.

86.40 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection. The Ozrics at their beginning are very much as they are now, only more raw and less polished.